Love him or loathe him, it is fair to say Andre Villas-Boas never had it easy when he arrived at Tottenham Hotspur.
Indeed, he was dealt a short hand right from the start, as Luka Modric left Spurs in his first summer at the club.
Nevertheless the Portuguese, who was a prodigy of Jose Mourinho, didn’t allow this setback to deter him, and the Lilywhites embarked on one of the biggest spending sprees in recent memory during his time in charge.
He should be credited with unearthing the likes of Jan Vertonghen and Christian Eriksen.
Furthermore, Villas-Boas arguably got Gareth Bale playing some of the best football we’ve ever seen, before the Welshman also left White Hart Lane for the Santiago Bernabeu.
Things quickly went downhill from then onward, but he should take pride from the fact that Tottenham accrued more points than Harry Redknapp managed in his two highest-placed finishes in the Premier League.
Fancy a challenge? Have a go at the Transfer Tavern’s latest quiz on Villas-Boas’ brief reign. Can you remember who was his most expensive signing? How come he can claim English descent? Test your knowledge down below!
or
Andre, Andre Villas Boas, AVB, Bale, CFC, Chels, Chelsea, Chelsea FC, Chelsea Football Club, Christian Eriksen, Coronavirus, COVID-19, coys, Daniel Levy, Enfield, ENIC, ENIC Group, epidemic, Florentino Perez, France, French, Gareth Bale, Harry Redknapp, Hotspur, Hotspur End, Hotspur Way, isolation, Jan, Jan Vertonghen, Jose, Jose Mourinho, La Liga, Les Phocéens (The Phocaeans) Les Olympiens (The Olympians), Levy, Ligue 1, Lilywhites, lockdown, London, Los Blancos (The Whites), Los Merengues (The Meringues), Los Vikingos (The Vikings), Luka Modric, Madrid, Madrid Football Club, Marseille, Matthew Harding Stand, Mauricio Pochettino, Modric, Mousa Dembele, nationwide, North London, Olympique de Marseille, OM, outbreak, pandemic, poch, Porto, Portuguese, Premier League, Premier League Project Restart, Project Restart, quarantine, Real Madrid, Real Madrid C.F., Real Madrid Club de Fútbol, redknapp, Roman Abramovich, Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, self-isolation, Sir Bobby Robson, social distance, social distancing, Spain, Spurs, spurs fans, spurs fans react, spurs transfer, spurs transfer news, Spurs transfer update, spurs twitter, Stade Velodrome, Stamford Bridge, Super Jan, THFC, Tottenham, Tottenham fans, Tottenham fans react, Tottenham Hotspur, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, tottenham transfer, Tottenham transfer news, Tottenham transfer update, tottenham twitter, Vertonghen, Villas-Boas, virus, White Hart Lane, Zinedine Zidane